Blueberry Muffins

 Blueberry Muffins

 

• 1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for muffin tops
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup (79 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 – 2/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (170 grams or 6 ounces) fresh blueberries or a mix of dried and fresh

Directions

Heat Oven and Prepare Muffin Cups

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Then, line 8 standard-size muffin cups with paper liners. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to the 4 empty muffin cups (this helps to make sure the muffins bake evenly).

Prepare Muffin Batter

1. Combine flour, 3/4 cup of the sugar, baking powder and the salt in a large bowl with a whisk. Whisk at least 10 times to make sure the baking powder and salt have evenly dispersed.
2. Next, add vegetable oil to a measuring jug that holds at least 1 cup. Add the egg then fill the jug to the 1-cup line with milk (this should be 1/3 to a 1/2 cup of milk). Add vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
3. Add milk mixture to the bowl with flour and sugar then use a fork to combine. Do not over mix. (The muffin batter will be quite thick — see note below for more details). Add blueberries and use a spatula or spoon to gently fold the blueberries into the muffin batter.
4. Divide batter between 8 muffin cups. (The batter will come to the tops of the paper liners). Then, sprinkle a little sugar on top of each muffin.

Bake Muffins

1. Bake blueberry muffins 15 to 20 minutes or until tops are no longer wet and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out with crumbs, not wet batter. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Note: This receipt has been adapted from another recipe online and is meant to be stored here as a private recipe -- I do not claim to have created it.

The recipe I found called for way too little milk -- I added at least another 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup (see adjustment above) to make it blueberry muffin consistency -- I also failed to measure the blueberries -- I just thew them in and added a handful of dried -- we'll see how they come out!

Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake

1 ¼ cups cinnamon sugar graham cracker crumbs

1/8 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup butter, melted

3 pkgs (8oz) cream cheese

1 can (14oz) Sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1 can (15oz) pure pumpkin pie filling

¼ cup maple syrup (no substitutions)

1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 300°.  Combine crumbs, sugar and butter.  Press firmly on bottom of 9” springform pan

In a large mixing bowl, beat cheese until fluffy, gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.  Add eggs, pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Mix well and pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes (NOTE:  I had to cook it 10-20 minutes more) until edge springs back when lightly touched (center will be slightly soft) cool.  Refrigerate for 2-4 hours (or more) before serving.

No knead bread

addicted to making bread

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp yeast
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water (about 100 degrees or slightly warmer than body temp)

mix -- cover loosely and put on counter for 2 hours - then in the fridge for 12 to 18 hours

preheat oven to 450 degrees with enamel dutch oven inside- -

form dough into a soft ball by working it on a heavily floured board

bake for 30 min with lid on
and then take lid off for 15 min

lovely lovely bread

(pictured is parm. cheese and black pepper)

Baked potato cakes

Ok -- this is a real time recipe recording

I'm trying to make a baked Latke
hmm -- well -- not really
a potato cake with cheese -- because last minute I thought I would like that

I'm out of onions so I thought the cheese would add something

I heated the oven to 425 degrees and sprayed muffin tins -- heavily and put the tins in the oven to heat up.

potato cakes

4 small red potatoes - grated
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp matzo meal
lots of salt and pepper
and some dried garlic ground up
a few handfuls of cheese
3 eggs

This I scooped into the hot muffin tins (it made 6) and I put it in the oven at 5:13 -- so we'll see how it turns out.....

Ok -- some 12 minutes later -- they are done and lovely

the verdict

needs more salt
most definitely needs the onions

but the cooking method is sound

they are tasty

oh

the cheese added nothing -- so it either needs more or less cheese
but I will make these again (and I'll freeze/reheat the ones I made)

Roasted Veg lasagna

2 small zucchini
2 small sweet onions
2 small squash
2 roasted and peeled red peppers (I got them at the salad bar -- because I'm lazy -- but you can roast and feel them if you want)
1 small head roasted garlic (roast it yourself or buy it that way)
1 package sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 small eggplant (if you like it)

slice veg and cook on the grill -- don't annihilate them -- just cook them so they still have some tooth -- I do the mushrooms in a pan -- put a bit of olive oil on them and salt and pepper -- chop coarsely  -- this is essentially my recipe for ratattouie

1 package soft tofu
1 small container low fat ricotta
1 box of spinach -- thawed

squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach and mix all three together with some black pepper

1 box of uncooked lasagna noodles

lots of sauce (I usually buy the cheap stuff in the cans -- I've made this with special sauce  -- and it doesn't seem to make a difference -- and you want the sauce to be a bit loose.

shredded mozzarella cheese

assembly:

ok -- it sounds crazy
but don't cook the noodles -- you don't need to.
nope -- really -- you don't -- the veg is going to let some of the liquid out and the sauce is sort of thin -- it will rehydrate the noodles.

In you pan
put a good amount of sauce in the bottom
place the noodles on top
layer the tofu mix and the veg and cheese and noodles making sure that you put sauce on top of the noodles each time -- be generous

when I put the noodles on -- I press down to push out any air.

I almost alway freeze this after it's made

then I cook it -- just like a normal lasagna -- in the oven at 350 degrees until it's hot a bubbly


it's weird -- but it works.

No churn pumpkin ice cream

2 cups whipping cream (whipped to stiff peaks)

Mix until smooth
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 can pumpkin
cinnamon
maple syrup

fold together

freeze in containers for 6 hours

we'll have to see how it turns out.

ok -- here's the end result -- not bad -- not great.....needs to be either MORE or LESS pumkinny but isn't i pretty

today -- we're going to try to make strawberry.

Pot Roast

(In process right now -- final photo to come)

remove meat -- soften veg -- then deglaze pan with 1 cup broth and wine (save concentrated stock for later)

put meat back in the pot -- bring to a simmer -- cover and put in the oven at 350 for 1 1/2 - 2 hours